Crusin’: Muskegon Tour Co. offers a variety of explorations

Cruise ship passengers as well as locals benefit

It’s a rather nondescript storefront on Western Avenue in Muskegon, across the street from the old train depot which is now home to Visit Muskegon.

But the Muskegon Heritage Museum of Business & Industry gathers oohs and aahs from those who step inside. They’re the lucky ones, often clued in by Rick Murak and Joe Panici of the Muskegon Tour Co. Visitors are bowled over by the museum’s working Brunswick pinsetter, to be sure. And by the working steam engine and Raggedy Ann dolls and ….

“This is one of the cruise passengers’ top places,” Murak said. “They say it’s like a stroll down Memory Lane.”

Who knew? Oh yeah, Murak and Panici knew. They’re Muskegon natives who have been soaking up all things Muskegon for their entire lives. They’re still at it, continuously doing research to find more. Those who take their tours definitely benefit. And yet, the Muskegon Tour Co. itself has a very short history.

The stars aligned perfectly just last year. Following the COVID–19 pandemic, Muskegon welcomed cruise ships back in a big way in 2022 with guided tours hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. Murak and Panici were volunteer guides. The idea proved too daunting for the Chamber, but not for the civic-minded duo. So last year, the Muskegon Tour Co. was born.

It’s already at work for this year’s cruise season; Pearl Mist and Le Bellot will dock in Muskegon a total of 15 times this year. Passengers will come ashore to explore Muskegon. Murak and Panici are ready with a variety of land tours, on a variety of vehicles — motorcoaches big and not-so-big, nostalgic trolleys, vans — depending on the number of participants and choice of tour. When a large number of visitors choose the same tour, the large group is broken into smaller groups at the site, with a separate guide for each of the smaller groups.

The majority of cruise passengers — typically older, educated, well-travelled, monied — have never been to Michigan. Many have never seen any of the Great Lakes. They’re inquisitive, ready to learn. “We encourage questions,” Murak said.

Many ask about Michigan winters. How cold does it get? How much snow do you get? What do you do in the winter?

A typical option for cruise passengers includes a hop-on-hop-off heritage tour of Muskegon’s downtown that’s big on history. Murak and Panici can regale visitors with oddities that include a glass floor at a public library, a mastodon scavenger hunt, America’s tallest singing Christmas tree, and the reason for that statue of Buster Keaton in front of the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts.

And what, exactly, are “Damfinos”?

The “Best of Muskegon” tour visits the Veterans Museum aboard one of just two remaining World War II LSTs, made-in-Muskegon products, and historic mansions that include Muskegon’s “painted ladies.” Other tours focus on architecture or the beach or craft breweries.

Possibilities in Grand Rapids include the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.

Perhaps the most unusual is the Sand Dune and Wine Tasting tour which takes visitors to Silver Lake for a 40-minute ride on an open-air dune scooter, then to a winery.

But wait— there’s more! Ship passengers are just one part of this story.

Tours are available for all types of groups. In growing numbers, participants are tourists in their own back yard— bachelor and bachelorette parties, corporate outings, family reunions, wedding groups, civic and social groups.

“We set up and organize the itinerary,” Murak said. “We provide the narrative enroute— the history, the information, whatever it is. When we get to the site (a museum, for example), there typically is another guide who is the expert who will take over for that part of the itinerary.”

He added, “We do have some exclusive for-us-only hours and perhaps a special keepsake item.”

Murak said each tour has a bonus for him and Panici. “We get to see Muskegon all the time, but when we take people on a tour, we get to see everything new again through their eyes.”

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Information is available at muskegontourcompany.com or (231) 855-8687.